Lock-washer



H. J. CARMODY.

LOCK WASHER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I9, 1920.

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- 'ro 'mvrne MGMEEKAN, ,OFBBOOKLYN, NEW YORK.

LOCK-WASHER.

Be it 'known that I, HAROLD a citizenof the United States, residing inWashers, of which the following is a jfull,

Brooklyn Manor, in the county ofQueens and State of New York, haveinvented cer.-.

tain new and useful Improvements inLockQ clear, and concise description.

- My invention relates to lock Washers, of the type used for preventingnuts and bolt heads from turning back-wardly, after once i being jammedin position.

More particularly stated, I- seek to produce a lock washer simple inform and adapted to be manufactured easily and. cheaply, yet havinggreat strength and durability, coupled with'the quality of obtainingandholding a very tenacious grip. I also seek to givethe lock washer asuitable form to adapt it for preventing the escape of oil used forlubricating the lock washerand parts adjacent thereto.

\ F i'gure'l is a plan view of azform of'my Reference is made to theaccompanying drawing forming a partof this specification,-

and in which like reference characters in dicate like parts throughoutthe several figures.

I improved lock washer.

i Fig. 2 is a side elevatlonot the same.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of still another form of my device.

Fig. 4; is 2. S1d6 elevation of the same. Fig. 5. is a sectionindicating the manner in which my improved lock washer is used.

In each of, the several different forms of my invention, I construct thelock washer of a single, integral member of hard and tough'- metal,preferably steel, and in so doing I provide theloclr washer with anunbroken annulus, or supporting portion oi ring-like form, which carries.the other part of the washer. The annulus is not provided with anyslot'crossing it, or in other words,

is not severed or otherwise mutilated in such manner as to render itanything else than a complete and unbroken ring. It thus has a maximumof mechanical strength, and is moreover adapted to prevent the escape oflubricating oil, as hereinafter described. In some instances I use morethan one annulus, as hereinafter described.

In the term shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the annulus appears at 17 and isbounded in part by slots 18, each of arcuate form;

J. CARMODY,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patnted Feb, 15, 1921,- Applicationfiled January 1a, 1920. Serial No. 352,541.

Integral with the annulus 17 are a number ofsprmg pawls 20, .21,provided with sharp points 22, 23., each spring pawl 20 being separated-from a spring pawl 21' immediatelyadjacent, a V-slot 19 as shown moreparticularly in Fig. 1. The. spring pawls the washer. These points 22and 23 have each, by virtue of its form, a marked tendency to springslightly inward or toward the geometrical c'ent'er'of thelock washer,when the point is taking its bite-in the surfaceof' the member withwhich the lock washer'is in engagement.- ,This is because the chisellikepoint tends to drift spirally inward to.

a slight extent while it is-making its cut.

nmaorn a. cannery, or BROOKLYN MANOR, NEW Yonir, ASSIGNOR or one-HALFThis improves the locking action of the device, and prevents the defect,commonly foundin lock washers, of the spring pawl I-moving outwardlyfrom the center.

- In the form of my -device shown. in Figs.

3 and 4 the outer annulus appears at 34 and 'aninner annulus is shown at35; Thewasher isprovided with a number of radially disposed slots 36,each ofarcuate-form and par- I tially bounding the annulus 35. Thewasher is furthenprovided with relatively short slots 37 ,38, each ofarcuate form and partially bounding the annulus 34. The numher of slots37, 38-is double the number of slots 36, but the number of slots 36 maybe varied, the number of slots 37, 38 being also varied accordingly Thewasher is provided with spring pawls 39, 40, having such or ti-shapedmembers 41 extending radially inward as shown in Fig. 3. Each ii-shapedportion iii is separated from the end por-' formation as to cause themto bend inwardly in biting, as above described with reference tions ofthe spring pawis 39, &0 immediately adjacent, by a pair of slots 42, e3.

1%. bolt s shown at at, in Fig. 5, and is provided with a threaded.portion 45. Revelubly fitted upon this bolt is a nut 46.

This bolt extends through my improved its loci: washer 12, and alsothrough a pair of plates 4?, 48 cr other metallic members to be clampedand held hy aid. oi the bolt. The

bolt 44 is encircled by a cylindrical passage 49 through the members 47,48-or in other words the bolt extends loosely through a hole in thesemembers. I

This cylindrical passage 49 may be utilized, if desired, for the purposeof holding a lubricant for the bolt, lock washer and nut.

escape.

time, and has a tendency to leave the parts 20.

In this connection I call attentionto the fact that nomatter which formof my lock washer be employed it has a tendency to prevent the escape ofthe lubricant used as just described. This is because in any given formof my lock washer there is at least one annulus completely encirclingthe bolt 44,

and having no hole, slot, passage or mutilation of any kind acting as anopen doorway through which the lubricant can make its Hence thelubricant lasts along fairly well lubricated after almost any length oftime.

'- The operation of my device may be readily understood from'theforegoing description. The bolt 44 and plates or other members 47, 48being arranged as shown in Fig. 5 or 1n any other conventional'manner,'the locking washer is slipped over the threaded portlon 45 of the bolt,and the nut 46 is fitted upon this threaded portion of the bolt andturned until it jams tightly against the v lock washer, and jams thelock washer tightly against the adjacent plate 48. This done the lockwasher is unable to turn backwardly in relation to the plate 48, and thenut 46 cannot readily be turned backwardly in relation to the lockwasher.

Wlth any particular form of my lock washer thereis always-one annulus,and in some instances more than one annulus, used for bracing andstrengthening the spring pawls, and also for preventing the escape ofthe lubricant if a lubricant be employed. Each annulus thus used has "amaximum of strength, as above pointed out, because of the fact that theannulus is unbroken in the general direction in which it extends.

Moreover in the form of my device shownin Flgs. 1 and 2 and in Figs. 3and 4 the chisel-like points of the spring pawls, in -biting into thesurface of the nut and other member to be engaged thereby have a slighttendency to bend inwardly or toward the geometrical center of the washeras above described, to the small extent permitted by the bracingactiongof the single annulus if a single annulus be used, or of the twoan- 1 nuli if such be employed.

improved lock washer is well adapted for use in connection with boltsemployed tice-are distributed all around the bolt, so

thatanytendency of any particular pawl to bend the bolt out of itsnormal position is offset by a contrary tendency of some other pawl. N

I do not limit myself to the precise construction shown, as variationsmay be made therefrom withoutdeparting from my in" vention, the scope ofwhich is coextensive with my claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent is as follows:

1 A lock washer comprising an annulus which is unbroken in the generalcircular direction in which it extends, said annulus having a pluralityof spring pawls integral with it, each spring pawl being provided with acutting edge which is inclined inwardly in relation to the adjacentperipheral edge of the annulus, so as to give the end of the spring pawlthe formof a comparatively sharppoint.

'2. A look washer comprising an inner annulus and an outer annulus, anda plurality of spring pawlsintegral with said inner annulus and saidouter annulus, each of said spring pawls being provided with a cuttingedge extending in a direction oblique to the portion of the innerannulus imediately adjacent thereto, in order to form a cutting memberhaving a relatively sharp point.

3. A lock washer comprising an inner an-,

nulus which is unbroken in the general circular direction in which itextends, an outer annulus which is also unbroken in the generaldirection in which itextends, and a plurality of spring pawls integralwith said inner annulus and with said outer annulus andintegraltherewith, each spring pawl be-' ing provided with a cutting edgeextending ins a direction oblique to the portion of the inner annulusimmediately adjacent thereto, in order to forma cutting member having arelatively sharp point.

H'AR-OLD J. CARMODY.

